Randall Euralentris Godfrey (born April 6, 1973) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Godfrey played college football at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, where he majored in housing and consumer

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

. He also played High School Football at

Lowndes High School Lowndes High School is a public high school in Valdosta, Georgia, Valdosta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The school is part of the Lowndes County School District (Georgia), Lowndes school system, which serves Lowndes County, Georg ...

in Valdosta Georgia. He was drafted in the 1996 NFL Draft by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

with the 49th overall pick. He then played for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

and the Seattle Seahawks.

Early years

Godfrey attended

where he was a three-sport athlete ( football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and track). As a senior, he finished with 111 tackles, 6 sacks and 2 interceptions, receiving

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n, All-State and All-South honors. He accepted a scholarship from the

, becoming the first true freshman in school history to lead the team in tackles (114) and was also named SEC Freshman of the Year. The next year, he repeated as the team leader in tackles (114) and earned All- SEC honors. As a junior, he registered 102 tackles (second on the team), 2 sacks and 5 passes defensed. In his last year he missed four games with a pulled hamstring, affecting his playing time and finishing with 35 tackles (3 for loss).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Godfrey was selected by the

in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft, after dropping because of his diminished production as a college senior. Although he was drafted to play

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, the level of skill and speed he demonstrated in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

, allowed the Cowboys to move him into different defensive positions. He started the last six games of his rookie season at

strongside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

replacing

Broderick Thomas Broderick Lee Thomas (born February 20, 1967) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Dallas Cowboys. He played c ...

. The next year, he registered 149 tackles (second on the team), one sack and 2 passes defensed. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, he finished with 115 tackles (fourth on the team), 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. In

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, he led the team with 143 tackles after being switched to his natural position at

, replacing

Fred Strickland Fredrick William Strickland, Jr. (born August 15, 1966) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. He playe ...

who was released. In the 90's, the Cowboys organization felt they could find

linebackers Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

through the draft, without the need of paying a premium and adversely impacting the

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...

, so they allowed talented and productive players like

Ken Norton Jr. Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) from 2018 to 2021. H ...

, Darrin Smith,

Dixon Edwards Dixon Voldean Edwards, III (born March 25, 1968) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Michigan State University were he studied ...

and Robert Jones, to leave via free agency, instead of signing them into long-term contracts. During the

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

period, although Godfrey was firmly entrenched as the team starting

, the Cowboys chose not to match the offer he received from the

and decided to let Dat Nguyen take over the position. He never missed a game in his four seasons in Dallas, recording 438 tackles, 5 quarterback sacks and 2 interceptions.

Tennessee Titans

, he set a career-high with 169 tackles and was named second-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

. He also registered 3 sacks, 6 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions. Godfrey led the Titans in tackles each of his first two seasons with the team. Because of a right ankle injury he suffered in the season opener, he only played in 8 games (5 starts) during the 2002 season, finishing with 44 tackles and a sack. Even though the Titans reworked his contract, with him agreeing to take less money, the team released him for salary cap reasons at the start of training camp in 2003.

Seattle Seahawks

Godfrey signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks, where he started 14 games and had 59 tackles in 2003.

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers signed Godfrey to a three-year deal in 2004. He was released after the 2007 NFL Draft.

Washington Redskins

On August 21, 2007,

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

coach

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...

, seeking to rebuild an injury-riddled linebacking corps, talked Godfrey out of retirement. He was not re-signed after the season and retired. On October 28, 2007, Godfrey made critical remarks regarding New England Patriots head coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

. Following a game in which the Patriots defeated the Redskins 52-7, Godfrey accused Belichick of showing the Redskins "no respect" because the Patriots continued to call deep passing plays despite leading 38-0 entering the fourth quarter. Belichick defended his play calling, saying "When you're playing defense it's your job to stop them. It's not (the offense's) job to not score."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Randall American football linebackers Dallas Cowboys players Tennessee Titans players Seattle Seahawks players San Diego Chargers players Washington Redskins players Georgia Bulldogs football players Players of American football from Valdosta, Georgia 1973 births Living people